Overview

Overview

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Summary of the work

Newham Council require a supplier with specialist capability and experience in transforming large scale, complex legacy technology and services into efficient modern solutions. We would require a team for Alpha and Beta phases as part of its Digital Customer Programme, aligned to the Digital By Default Service Standard.

Latest start date

20/04/2017

Expected contract length

Approximately, a duration of one year.

Location

London

Organisation the work is for

London Borough of Newham (Newham Council)

Budget range

The budget range is £2.2million - £2.5million. The contract will be used to deliver specific service outcomes by bringing in digital expertise. It is estimated at this stage that the contract will have a maximum of one-year duration to deliver projects once the team is up and running, but this will be dependent on how quickly experienced staff can be recruited to the internal digital services team.

About the work

About the work

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Opportunity attribute value

Why the work is being done

Our aspiration is to pioneer change by creating a resilient council and community that shapes Newham as a place where people choose to live, work and stay. We are transforming the way we work to be more effective, commercial, innovative and pioneering in how we deliver the services our residents say matter most to them. Our vision is for services to be Digital by Default with an emphasis on end-to-end processes; while saving money and improving the user experience. We require a specialist team to work with us on the Alpha and Beta phases.

Problem to be solved

While many transactions have been moved online, the user experience is fragmented and often confusing, relying on inefficient, manual intervention for a number of transactions. There is an opportunity to make savings by improving the user experience in the broadest sense and to develop an evidenced based digital roadmap to deliver digital tools that meet user needs and support organisational goals for the future.

Who the users are and what they need to do

At a high level the users are Newham residents, partners, businesses and other organisations. Within the council the users are those who commission services. Newham Council provides a range of services to users including adult and children health and social care, advice and benefits, housing, community and living, environment and planning, education and learning, jobs and careers, leisure and culture, transport and streets. A more complete list is available on the Council website www.newham.gov.uk.

Early market engagement

We have spoken with other councils and suppliers. This has helped shape our thinking and approach to the market. Key recommendations and considerations: (1) Establish an internal digital services team; (2) Ensure customers are represented at each point in the process; (3) Ensure ICT are integrated into this function through matrix management arrangements and governance – by adopting a one team approach; (4) Ensure Agile methodologies are used with controls with clearly defined deliverables and quality criteria, e.g. establish robust checkpoints to assess whether an off-the-shelf solution already exists to speed up deployment and not waste time and resource developing new solutions; (5) Ensure integration and application costs are budgeted for; (6) Recognise that one-off specialist skills will always be required from external sources, as it’s more cost effective than having these as permanent members of staff; (7) Ensure contracts are flexible to release external resources with minimal penalties.

Any work that’s already been done

We have run Discoveries on a selection of the Council’s customer interactions to identify where that experience can be improved and savings made. The key goal of Discovery was to gain a detailed understanding of user needs and how well they are currently being met by existing services. The programme has, to date, developed four new digital offers for the following services: homelessness online, housing register applications, the housing account and repairs and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Local Offer. We are currently running Alphas on homelessness online and the Local Offer alongside Discoveries on seven additional services.

Existing team

The supplier will work with blended, multi-discipline in-house Newham teams and people, including Service Managers, Product Managers, Business Analysts, Solution Architects, Project Managers, Delivery Managers and Service users. There may be instances where the supplier will need to work with other Newham suppliers.

Current phase

Discovery

Work setup

Work setup

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Address where the work will take place

London Borough of Newham, Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU. The team will also be required to work from other Council buildings within the borough.

Working arrangements

Monday to Friday on site. A professional working day, hours and working pattern as needed to deliver the service in an efficient way. Mainly based from our office in Dockside, London.

Security clearance

Additional information

Additional information

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Additional terms and conditions

The Council's vision is to build an internal experienced digital services team. The contract will be flexible so resources can be released as Newham recruits digital professionals for the posts.

Skills and experience

Buyers will use the essential and nice-to-have skills and experience to help them evaluate suppliers’ technical competence.

Skills and experience

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Essential skills and experience

Demonstrable experience of delivering successful Alpha and Beta outcomes to support complex digital transformation in a large scale service delivery organisation - 5 points

Demonstrable experience of successfully delivering full end-to-end service design from Discovery to Live - 5 points

Demonstrable experience of increasing digital inclusion - 2 points

Demonstrable experience of using the outputs of Discovery, Alpha and Beta to set the appropriate scope of delivery and savings for each of the next stages - 3 points

Nice-to-have skills and experience

Previous experience in a public sector transformation programme - 1 point

Strong experience of delivering projects in-line with the Government Digital Service’s Design Principles and Digital Service Standard - 1 point

Demonstrable experience of research methodologies: ethnography, open and closed card sorting, multivariate testing - 1 point

Strong understanding of the approach other local authorities are taking with digital and of the benefits this provides - 1 point

How suppliers will be evaluated

How suppliers will be evaluated

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How many suppliers to evaluate

6

Proposal criteria

Approach and methodology - 2 points

A plan that sets out the overall timescales - 2 points

Approach to knowledge transfer - 2 points

Team structure - 2 points

Value for money - 2 points

Critical success factors - 2 points

Top level risks and assumptions - 2 points

Cultural fit criteria

Demonstrable experience of working as part of a team within an organisation and an outline of the approach and style that made it successful - 4 points

An example of where you have been transparent and collaborative when making decisions and recommendations - 2 points

An example of where you have exhibited a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes - 2 points

Demonstrable experience of sharing knowledge and experience with other team members - 5 points

An example of where you have challenged existing behaviour and views whilst maintaining good relationships - 3 points

Demonstrable experience of showing responsibility, by acting like a leader, serving your team and providing solutions to problems - 2 points

Payment approach

Capped time and materials

Assessment methods

Written proposal

Work history

Presentation

Evaluation weighting

Technical competence

55%

Cultural fit

5%

Price

40%

Questions asked by suppliers

Questions asked by suppliers

Supplier question

Buyer answer

1.
Please can you confirm that all work would be carried out on the Newham Premises - or is there an element of co-location/remote delivery that could apply to this work? Thanks.

Being based on-location is highly desirable so that we can run agile Alpha and Beta phases and ensure knowledge transfer between the specialists and Newham staff. We would therefore like the team member (or members) to be based primarily with staff here at Newham as much as possible.

2.
How many discoveries, alphas and betas do you expect to be delivered during the 12 month contract and what are your expectations around how long each of these phases take?

At the moment, we are currently running 7 Discoveries and 2 Alphas. We envisage that most, if not, all of the discoveries will go in to the Alpha/Beta stages. Where we need to pause or cancel a workstream due to limited opportunity, we may introduce another area. We may also have more that are identified through further engagement with service areas, or outputs of Discovery.

3.
You stipulate that “Agile methodologies are used” and that the supplier would benefit from having “Strong experience of delivering projects in-line with the Government Digital Service’s Design Principles and Digital Service Standard”. However you also refer to “controls with clearly defined deliverables and quality criteria” which are more in line with a waterfall approach to project delivery. Can you confirm that you want this work to be completed in line with the Government Digital Service Service Design approach following agile principles and what kind of controls and deliverables you expect?

We do want to ensure an Agile delivery method, but ensuring that there are sufficient checkpoints, particularly at the point of promoting from Discovery, to Alpha, and to Beta. We would expect clear anticipated deliverables, and project savings/efficiency at the close of Discovery, and maintaining a realistic view through Alpha, with a clear understanding of critical dependencies and estimated timelines for Beta delivery (revised at the end of each sprint).

4.
You state that “The supplier will work with blended, multi-discipline in-house Newham teams and people”. Can you confirm which specific roles you are looking for the supplier to provide and which Newham will provide?

Due the scale of work, currently in 7 areas, but anticipated to go beyond, we would initially require all roles to be provided by the supplier, whilst the supplier/partner upskills our own small multi-disciplinary team that will are looking to grow over time, as well as embed capability back into larger business areas. Hence the flexibility in resource is a key requirement for us. We are actively seeking recruitment into these roles.

5.
You state that you are currently running “Discoveries on seven additional services”. Can you state which services these are and whether the appointed supplier be required to deliver these 7 services to public beta stage?

We are currently working on Workplace, Enforcement and Safety, Parking Appeals, Council Tax and Benefits, Licensing, Community Neighbourhoods and also Newham Catering and Cleansing Staff. We will review progress of each service through the Discovery and Alpha phases, and at relevant checkpoints determine whether it is appropriate for the service to progress through to Beta, if it is necessary to pause due to external constraints and blockers, or if the originally perceived opportunity is no longer feasible. In such cases, we would endeavour to identify an alternate service to progress via Discovery, Alpha and Beta phases.

6.
You state that “The programme has, to date, developed four new digital offers for the following services: homelessness online, housing register applications, the housing account and repairs and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Local Offer.” Can you confirm whether the appointed supplier be required to continue work on these products through both alpha and beta phases?

The Homelessness Online digital offer is progressing through Alpha already, with a blended internal/external team. The other services have not yet entered Alpha. All these services may fall into areas we would want the chosen supplier to work with us on, and may include working with existing suppliers.

7.
Are you looking for a Supplier to provide roles that overlap with those mentioned in-house (Service Managers, Product Managers, Business Analysts, Solution Architects, Project Managers, Delivery Managers and Service users), or are you expecting roles that are uniquely different?

Due the scale of work, currently in seven areas, but anticipated to go beyond, we would initially require all roles to be provided by the supplier, whilst the supplier/partner upskills our own small multi-disciplinary team that will are looking to grow over time, as well as embed capability back into larger business areas. Hence the flexibility in resource is a key requirement for us. We are actively seeking recruitment into these roles.

8.
Are you looking for support with recruitment of the internal digital services team?

We would welcome support from the chosen supplier, to define gaps in internal resources, and define required roles and capability. The supplier may also be required to provide expertise during the recruitment process.

9.
Will the currently ongoing Discoveries be complete by the time the contract begins?

Some of the Discoveries are expected to be completed, with identified opportunities to take forward into Alpha. Some discoveries are currently on hold or pending internal approval.

10.
Of the eleven services mentioned (homelessness online, housing register applications, the housing account and repairs and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Local Offer, plus the additional seven services) – are all these considered to be in scope? Are you looking for a supplier to support with one of these, or Service Design for the whole portfolio?

We are looking for a supplier to support and deliver against the whole portfolio, as parallel workstreams, and ensuring our internal team are upskilled to undertake the same activities. The Digitial Transformation is expected to broaden much further, in order to support the target operating model and ambitious Newham 2020 vision.

11.
Is there an expectation that the entire website is redesigned? If so, will the supplier be responsible for this work?

We are expecting both the website (CMS currently on SharePoint), and the MyNewham transactional portal to fall into scope as key dependencies of a number of workstreams. The service redesign should ensure that the Alphas can demonstrate what we need our CMS and MyNewham portal to provide as services, and therefore help build requirements for their suitable replacement. Newham has a core principal of maintaining a "One Newham" approach to council services, and therefore this should be supported where possible into Beta.

12.
Do you have data available on the current usage of all services in scope, to better understand where manual interventions are occurring?

We have various outputs and some understanding of manual activities across the council, by way of extensive Activity Analysis that was performed last year. We would expect more details to come become available as the services go through Discovery imminently. We can share further details to those suppliers shortlisted.

13.
Are we able to gain access to any of the Discovery outputs, or view details on the process that has been undertaken so far?

We can share further details to those suppliers shortlisted.

14.
Are you looking to the supplier to define a user-centred design methodology to facilitate the redesign of the digital services?

Yes, we would expect this to be define in collaboration with our internal Digital Services unit.

15.
Is there in house capability for user experience design?

We do not have dedicated user experience design specialists available. There is some capability within the existing team, but will likely require UX design specialists to be provided by the supplier, and help us consider whether this is dedicated resource will need to provide in future.

16.
What is the structure of the internal team and which members are in place?

An interim Head of Digital Services has been appointed, fully taking up the role from 1st April 2017. An existing internal team of up to ten people have been working on the Newham 2020 transformation programme, with approximately seven people working on Discovery with a external supplier, as well as interim transformation director, and other interim roles.

17.
Is there an expectation that the systems currently used to put services online at Newham will be rationalised or consolidated as part of this work?

Yes, where opportunities are identified and there are tangible benefits or savings identified, then we want to rationalise and consolidate applications where possible, and reuse appropriate applications & platforms. We do however recognise that some existing systems will not be replaceable within the timeframe desired, and so some existing systems may need to integrated to.

Website - Yes (corporate is currently SharePoint 2010).Customer portal (MyNewham) - Yes (Currently bespoke .NET code and Firmstep/AchieveForms).CRM - Upgrade or change scope depending on requirement (Currently Microsoft Dynamics 2011).MDM - No, but review requirements (Currently VisionWare MultiVue and internal Data Warehouse capability).Supplier may be required to guide and help build out new functional capability in order to achieve the outcomes desired from Alpha/Beta services, in particular where sharing of customer/transactional data across services would improve the service.

19.
Can you let us know what transactional data you have available with regard to your customer facing processes (e.g. transaction numbers, website statistics)?

We currently have transactional data, website statistics and call data.

20.
Do you have an idea of scope of which online processes you'd like to be redesigned, if so, could a list of priority services be provided?

We are currently still in our Discovery phase and have yet to determine the scope of these strands.

21.
Are you expecting the supplier to propose new services to be digitised?

Where opportunities are identified, through Discovery, Alpha or otherwise, then yes we would expect new services to be identified as either direct dependencies of an ongoing phase, or as future pipeline projects to go through Discovery, Alpha, Beta.

22.
Is it true to say you expect the supplier for this piece of work to redesign the UX and digital service design of a number of existing online services?

Yes, and make recommendations for how this is best done to both meet immediate service needs, as well as ensuring we align to a future core platform that allows for reuse of CMS and Customer Portal components in future, ensuring a consistent user experience across all future digital council services.

23.
What types of transaction are envisaged through the transformed service (application, payment etc)?

We expect all types of transaction typical to a local authority may fall into scope, to varying levels for each service. You can likely expect, among others:- Applications, Report It, Booking/Appointments, Payments, Accounts/Track It.

24.
Does the Council have a digital strategy in place, or is part of this project scope to develop one (alongside implementation)?

The council is now forming a new Digital Service, and in the coming weeks and months, digital principles will be defined for the organisation, and a digital strategy will be co-designed and evolved in-line with the changing landscape of the council's target operating model.

25.
What is the scope of Digital Services provided now, or to be covered by this project?

The Digital Services scope will be clearly defined soon, as it is forming now. It will become responsible for the user centred design of digital services, both those accessed and consumed by our customers, as well as the future digital tools and workspaces that our employees will require in the future.The council's ICT services are provided by its own shared service with another borough, and in some cases the current systems/platforms are fully managed by the ICT service, as well as a small development function.

26.
Please can you assist with context by sharing which legacy systems are referred to / in scope of the project?

Other existing systems in place may be identifiable by suppliers that wish to consult the London Contracts Register.

27.
Dear NDS - Is it a clustered system? If so, how many nodes in the cluster?

We have some clustered systems, and the nodes varies depending on the system.

28.
Dear NDS - Are any of the applications your users sign into using true single sign-on as in user's signs in once and then can access all applications without signing in again?

Yes, we have some single sign on, some federated/syncronised logins, and a number of applications using their own propriety logins.

29.
Dear NDS - how many users are you currently managing with Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager?

We only use this to synchronise email accounts for oneSource - currently we have circa 1000.

30.
You mention within your requirements that you have undertaken discoveries on various customer interactions and the output of these. Are you able to provide us with any more detail around this and if possible copies of any documentation around findings?

We can share further details to those suppliers shortlisted.

31.
Have the discoveries been run in house or through an external provider?

Discoveries have been run in-house using a blended team of internal staff and an external digital partner.

32.
Within the Essential Experience section it mentions further discoveries being run alongside Alpha and Beta phases – is this something you anticipate?

Yes.

33.
Is there are further detail you can provide around the programme of different workstreams?

We are currently working on Discoveries in the following services: Newham Workplace, Enforcement and Safety, Parking Appeals, Council Tax and Benefits, Licensing, Community Neighbourhoods and Newham Catering and Cleansing Service. We can share further details to those suppliers shortlisted.

34.
You also mention alignment to the Digital by Default Service Standard – will you be required to go through GDS assessment as part of this work?

We do not follow the GDS Assessment, however there are appropriate checkpoints via internal governance boards that include the digital service and service heads.

35.
Your brief leans towards and Agile approach in line with the Digital by Default Service Standard; what level of understanding and experience using Agile do you have in house?

The internal team has completed four Discovery phases with our external digital partner using agile principles and tools and is now is continuing to use this approach to run seven new Discoveries and two Alphas. An in-house blended team of internal and external staff has facilitated skill transfer around agile service design and we would want this to continue throughout the Alpha and Beta stages.

36.
Do you have any view at this point of the make up of the team provided by the successful supplier?

We would initially require all roles to be provided by the supplier, whilst the supplier/partner upskills our own small multi-disciplinary team that will are looking to grow over time, as well as embed capability back into larger business areas. Hence the flexibility in resource is a key requirement for us. We are actively seeking recruitment into these roles.

37.
Which incumbent partners are involved at the moment (i.e. specifically engaged or recently have been for discovery, consultancy etc)?

We are currently running the Discovery strands and two Alphas with our digital partner, Unboxed Consultancy.

38.
Can you provide more details about what the project is about? Goals? Single service / set of services? If so, which ones? Any other vendors involved? At what stage?

At the moment we are running seven Discoveries (Newham Workplace, Enforcement and Safety, Parking Appeals, Council Tax and Benefits, Licensing, Community Neighbourhoods and Newham Catering and Cleansing Service) and two Alphas (Homelessness and CYPS) with our digital partner, Unboxed. We envisage that most, if not, all of the discoveries will go in to the Alpha/Beta stages. Where we need to pause or cancel a workstream due to limited opportunity, we may introduce another area. We may also have more that are identified through further engagement with service areas, or outputs of Discovery.

39.
Are we building from scratch or enhancing existing product?

Both, subject to the outputs of Discovery and Alpha.

40.
Are current technologies being used?

Potentially, but this is subject to the requirements and outputs form Discovery and Alpha.

41.
Any constraints on preferred tech stack?

In general, no. However we are looking to replace the corporate website (currently SharePoint 2010), the customer portal - MyNewham (Currently bespoke .NET code and Firmstep/AchieveForms) and upgrade or change the scope of CRM (currently Microsoft Dynamics 2011). The supplier may be required to guide and help build out new functional capability in order to achieve the outcomes desired from Alpha/Beta services, in particular where sharing of customer/transactional data across services would improve the service.

42.
Any internal experience of UCD or Agile ?

The internal team has completed four Discovery phases with our external digital partner using agile principles and tools and is now is continuing to use this approach to run seven new Discoveries and two Alphas. An in-house blended team of internal and external staff has facilitated skill transfer around agile service design and we would want this to continue throughout the Alpha and Beta stages.

43.
Is scope limited to online transactions, or will team be able to alter offline processes?

We are not only focused on online processes. The digital transformation work we are doing is much more about the end-to-end business process, digitising and automating those processes where possible, while ensuring it remains an inclusive service with an appropriate blend of digital and manual interventions to meet both user and council needs.

44.
What level of buy-in can we expect from employees?

Running a Discovery phase with our digital partner has raised the profile of digital services and the transformation programme within the council. The programme has a brand, a communications strategy and a visible space within the council building. It is being rolled out to staff through change agents located within each service.

45.
Are service teams aware of project?

Running a Discovery phase with our digital partner has raised the profile of digital services and the transformation programme within the council. The programme has a brand, a communications strategy and a visible space within the council building. It is being rolled out to staff through change agents located within each service.

46.
Is Newham bound by GDS design standards?

We are not bound by the GDS design standards, however we do refer to the framework and adapt its principles where deemed appropriate.

47.
Would project go through Alpha assessment?

We do not follow the GDS Alpha Assessment, however there are appropriate checkpoints via internal governance boards that include the digital service and service heads.

48.
Coud you advise if you are willing to consider Cloud or SAAS based digital solutions?

Yes, we would always consider cloud and on premise solutions and consider them against both capability and cost.

49.
Which technology has been used to implement the four new digital offers (homelessness online, housing register applications, the housing account and repairs and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Local Offer) and is it expected for the same technology to be used for future offerings or are you willing to consider alternatives?

Where there has been extensive use through Alpha of a given solution, we will potentially continue to use that platform unless there is a compelling reason or cost justification in reworking the prototype onto a different technology platform.

50.
Can you advise how many and which roles within the blended multi-disciplinary team you envisage the supplier to fulfil, particularly over the first 3-6 months?

We would initially require all roles to be provided by the supplier, whilst the supplier/partner upskills our own small multi-disciplinary team that will are looking to grow over time, as well as embed capability back into larger business areas. Hence the flexibility in resource is a key requirement for us. We are actively seeking recruitment into these roles.

51.
Should the technical proposal include the proposed software to be used or should this not be given at this stage? It would be harder to write a detailed proposal without assuming certain software would be used.

No, software decisions will be made during the Alpha phase. If your delivery model to accomplish Discovery, Alpha, and or Beta is dependent on specific software solutions, then you must detail what those costs will be.

52.
Could an indication of exactly which roles you are seeking from the supplier be given? Obviously, some technical roles will be dependent on the technical approach, but any guidance on would be helpful, especially for non-technical roles that the supplier would be expected to provide (e.g., a ScrumMaster).

We would initially require all roles to be provided by the supplier, whilst the supplier/partner upskills our own small multi-disciplinary team that will are looking to grow over time, as well as embed capability back into larger business areas. Hence the flexibility in resource is a key requirement for us. We are actively seeking recruitment into these roles.

53.
Price is 40%. How is this evaluated with respect to time and materials if a rate card is given with different rates for different roles?

We would expect the supplier to estimate the level of resource required for each of the workstreams, including the breakdown of those different roles, so a final cost can be estimated.

54.
If we propose using COTS should the cost of that come from the budget of £2.2 - £2.5 and how does this work in relation to the price of our bids?

No, it does not include further software puchases, but we would expect these to be identified through Alpha.

55.
Is the budget of £2.2 - £2.5 the range that you expect bids to be within?

No, this is a guideline identified to progress with a number of Alpha and Beta workstreams, which could be subject to change at various checkpoints.

56.
The payment approach says that it is capped time and materials - so is this a time and materials and not fixed price?

Yes.

57.
Will this service undertake the GDS Service assessment?

We do not follow the GDS Alpha Assessment, however there are appropriate checkpoints via internal governance boards that include the digital service and service heads.

58.
Please could you confirm whether your proposed budget of £2.2- 2.5 million is for both the alpha and beta collectively?

Yes.

59.
You state that there may be incidences when the supplier will have to work with other Newham suppliers. Are you able to provide further detail on this?

The supplier will need to work with existing technology suppliers and potentially our existing digital partner.

60.
Are you able to provide any further detail on the proposed makeup of the supplier team?

We would initially require all roles to be provided by the supplier, whilst the supplier/partner upskills our own small multi-disciplinary team that will are looking to grow over time, as well as embed capability back into larger business areas. Hence the flexibility in resource is a key requirement for us. We are actively seeking recruitment into these roles.

61.
What is your current ecperience of the Agile methodology? Are you looking for specific Agile coaching capabilities at all?

The internal team has completed four Discovery phases with our external digital partner using agile principles and tools and is now is continuing to use this approach to run seven new Discoveries and two Alphas. An in-house blended team of internal and external staff has facilitated skill transfer around agile service design and we would want this to continue throughout the Alpha and Beta stages.

62.
Please could you provide further details on your current technical environment and whether you have any preferred technologies in mind?

In general, no. However we are looking to replace the corporate website (currently SharePoint 2010), the customer portal - MyNewham (Currently bespoke .NET code and Firmstep/AchieveForms) and upgrade or change the scope of CRM (currently Microsoft Dynamics 2011). The supplier may be required to guide and help build out new functional capability in order to achieve the outcomes desired from Alpha/Beta services, in particular where sharing of customer/transactional data across services would improve the service.

63.
Would you consider the successful supplier extending the discovery work if deemed appropriate upon review of your outcomes?

Yes, subject to appropriate checkpoints and board decision based on the scope of the project and potential opportunities.

64.
Are you able to share any of the outcomes from the discovery that you have carried out?

We can share further details to those suppliers shortlisted.

65.
As a local authority are Newham bound by GDS design standards? Would project go through alpha assessment?

We are not bound by the GDS design standards, however we do refer to the framework and adapt its principles where deemed appropriate. We do not follow the GDS Alpha Assessment, however there are appropriate checkpoints via internal governance boards that include the digital service and service heads.

66.
Will the project scope be limited to the online element of transactions only, or will the team be able to alter offline processes as well to ensure a high quality end to end service?

We are not only focused on online processes. The digital transformation work we are doing is much more about the end-to-end business process, digitising and automating those processes where possible, while ensuring it remains an inclusive service with an appropriate blend of digital and manual interventions to meet both user and council needs.

67.
Is there an opportunity to build from scratch or are we required to enhance an existing product. If the latter, what are current technologies being used?

Both, subject to the outputs of Discovery and Alpha.

68.
Have you got experience with user-centred design and agile practices?

The internal team has completed four Discovery phases with our external digital partner using agile principles and tools and is now is continuing to use this approach to run seven new Discoveries and two Alphas. An in-house blended team of internal and external staff has facilitated skill transfer around agile service design and we would want this to continue throughout the Alpha and Beta stages.

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